The Musician and the Skeleton
by MusicHeart08
Summary: Beauty and the Beast AU. Inspiring musician, Hector's life is turned upside down when he and his nephew become prisoners inside a cursed mansion for all eternity. However, there is more to this story than he realizes.
1. Prologue

**HELLO READERS! If you clicked this story you must be a Beauty and the Beast fan, an Imector shipper, both or neither!** **Either way, WELCOME!**

 **A few people requested this story and I thought, _What the Hey?_**

 **I have loved Beauty and the Beast since I was a little kid. For the story, I used more elements from the 2017 live-action edition because that was really awesome.**

 _ **(I love Evermore)**_

 **This may not be a song-fic story like Guitar Strings but I dearly hope you still enjoy it.**

* * *

Once upon a time, in the heart of Mexico, there was a mansion belonging to the Rivera family.

The previous owners had passed long ago so the deed to the luxury house fell to their eldest child, Imelda Rivera.

Imelda was a young and beautiful woman but her heart was gripped with anger from the way she had been raised. Although she had the love of her remaining family, she remained cold and short-tempered.

One fateful evening, an old beggar woman had knocked on the mansion door seeking shelter from the raging storm just outside. In return, she offered a marigold flower.

Despite the concern expressed from the others in the mansion, Imelda turned the old woman away.

The woman had warned her not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within but it did nothing to change the mistresses mind.

With a clap of thunder, the old woman's hagged appearance melted away, to reveal a beautiful enchantress. Imelda begged for her forgiveness, but it was far too late. For she had seen that there was so much hate in her heart.

As punishment, she placed a powerful spell on the mansion and all who lived there.

However, the marigold she had offered was truly an enchanted flower. If the mistress could let go of her anger to learn to love another and earn their love in return by the time the last petal faded to dust, the spell would be broken.

If not, she and the rest of the mansion would fade away like dust in the wind, and be forgotten by everyone on earth.

As time faded day by day, all of Imelda's hopes disappeared along with the enchanted flower petals.

For who could ever learn to love a monster?

* * *

 **All rights go to Disney for Beauty and the Beast and Coco.**

 **Hope this was alright. Don't forget to review!**

 **HUGS AND KISSES!**


	2. Little Town

**Sorry, this took so long. I tried to make the song work with my story but it just didn't seem right so I took it out. Hope that's okay.**

* * *

It was a beautiful day in the town of Santa Cecilia.

In the middle of town was a brick building that served as a school for the children. Outside the building, a young man was leaning against a tall tree waiting for someone. Attached to his back was a simple brown guitar.

The young man was named Hector, right now the man was waiting for his nephew to be released from school for the summer.

Almost twelve years ago, Hector's brother Enrique and his wife Lusia had suffered a grave illness and just before they passed on, Enrique asked his brother to take care of their son, Miguel. Hector knew nothing of raising a baby but had agreed, for his brother's sake.

Hector believed he was never meant to raise a child, his mind revolved around music but as the years went on, he couldn't imagine life without Miguel.

For a better life, Hector moved to the town of Santa Cecilia, unfortunately, the people have a certain idea on what is considered normal.

In other words, Hector was the first single father in the town.

Many had found the duo to be odd but Hector refused to let their judgment bring either of them down.

The man shared his love of music with his nephew as the boy grew, causing a dream of the two becoming musicians to spark.

Just then, the final school bell rang and the front door swung open as a wave of children came running out. As the large crowd died out, young Miguel stepped out of the building scanning the crowd until he spotted the man leaning against the tree.

"Tio Hector!"

Hector looked up at the boy with a smile as Miguel ran towards him. All the air from the older man's lungs were forced out as the little boy gave him a bone-crushing hug.

"Missed me?" the man said as he wrapped his arm around his nephew. The boy chuckled and tightened his grip on the man.

The two's smile quickly faded away at the sound of whispering. Hector held his nephew's head in place as he turned towards the source of the noise, two women with children of their own were whispering amongst themselves while casting the pair side glances. Hector shook his head, sure he used to it by now but could they have done better to be discreet?

Miguel shook the grip off his head and stuck his tongue out at the women. Hector non verbally scolded the boy while the woman looked shocked and offended.

"Such behavior!" one of the mothers huffed before the pair stormed away. Miguel pulled away from his uncles embrace with a proud look that quickly melted once he saw Hector's face.

"Chamaco!"

The boy smiled nervously and shrugged, "It's not like they're going to find us any less impar,"

Hector sighed and shook his head, "Let"s just get you home. Because that dog that you decided to let stay in the house, kept me busy all day!"

With a chuckle, Miguel slid his small hand into Hectors as the two began their journey home.

All throughout the walk through the little town, the villagers cast glances as the duo and even whispered amongst themselves.

 _"What that boy really needs is a mother to raise him, not some wannabe musician!"_

 _"What a shame that he's stuck with such an odd man,"_

 _"Such a puzzle that someone just handed a child to a man like him!"_

Miguel cringed inwardly at the unwanted attention, why did no one understand that he loved his Tio Hector? He didn't need anyone else.

"So, when do we leave for our trip to abuelita?" the boy asked to block out the negativity.

"Chicharron said he could take you tomorrow if you would like," Hector answered immediately

"That sounds good," the young boy sighed

But then a sad and nervous look came across the older man, "The thing is, Chamaco. It's only going to be you going with Chich tomorrow,"

"What?!" Miguel cried out in alarm and he stopped in his tracks, "Why?"

"I have to work tomorrow, so I'll find another way there," his uncles' explanation did little to ease Miguel's mind. Hector must have seen it because he added, "I'll only be a few days behind you and I can bring you something special from the market if you want,"

Miguel sniffed before lifting up his pinky, "Promesa?"

The older man smiled before wrapping his own pinky around the smaller one. The younger boy smiled before hugging the man

After a minute or two, the duo broke away and continued towards home.

"Can we go to the plaza?" Miguel asked

Hector glanced up at the grand clock in the center of town, "I guess just a few minutes couldn't hurt,"

Miguel's face lit up like a Christmas tree, he loved going to the Plaza. Just then, a sudden thought race through the boy's mind.

"Just as long as we don't run into Señor De La Cruz again,"

"Aye, Miguel," Hector scolded playfully, "Be nice,"

The boy responded by sticking out his tongue and saying, _"Blech!"_

* * *

Mariachi Plaza was the highlight of Santa Cecelia, it was where all the mariachi's

A man was leaning against a wall watching a certain young man holding his nephew's hand as the young boy walked on the edge of a fountain like a tightrope walker.

Ernesto De La Cruz.

The man was well-liked among the town and was a talented musician with his heart set on being Mexico's biggest star. However, he just needed one simple thing, a songwriter.

Out of all the men in Mexico, there was one who outshined the rest, Hector.

As much as it burned Ernesto to admit it, Hector was the most talented musician in all of Santa Cecilia.

That was why he had his mind set on making Hector his songwriter.

With determination, the man stepped forward towards the small family.

* * *

Hector was sitting on a bench while strumming a tune he made up on his guitar and Miguel sat next to him, listening with delight.

"That is a lovely tune," a familiar voice spoke up

Hector stopped in his tracks while Miguel's smile dropped in an instant.

"Hola Ernesto," Hector greeted to be nice before giving Miguel a look.

With a small groan, the boy faked a smile, "Hola Señor De La Cruz,"

"Hola Señor Hector and Niño," Ernesto greeted back before reaching and ruffling Miguel's hair, much to his displeasure

The boy grumbled softly as he fixed his hair and grumbled, "My name is Miguel,"

"So, Hector, has anyone told you that you're a very talented musician?"

"No, not recently," Hector replied, with a strained smile. He wasn't naive. He knows what De La Cruz was truly after and he refused to give it to him so easily.

"Well, you are probably one of the most talented musicians I've seen in a long time, perhaps we could play music together,"

"Perhaps another day,"

Ernesto's face dropped, Hector was more stubborn than he thought but didn't matter, he _will_ seize his moment.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Ernesto but we must be on our way," Hector stated before gently taking Miguel's hand, "Come on, niño,"

Miguel followed along obediently, relieved to be leaving the older mans company.

But before they could leave, Ernesto blocked their path, "If you ever change your mind, I'll be around," he tried one last time, "With the right partner, you could be a famous musician in no time,"

Whether it was from anger or protection, Miguel stood tall and said: "Well, Hector is such a talented musician that he doesn't need a partner. He can become a famous musician all by himself!"

Hector smiled gratefully at his nephew while Ernesto narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"I see," De La Cruz softly growled, "Well, you two enjoy the rest of your day,"

"You as well, Ernesto," Hector bid his final farewell and the older man walked away.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Hector and Miguel turned to each other and said the exact same thing:

 _"BLECH!"_


	3. A Trip Gone Wrong

**I fixed all the mistakes here.**

* * *

The next morning, Hector was helping Miguel pack his belongings into Chicharrón's wagon.

As they were finishing up, Miguel began to grow more upset.

"Okay, chamaco," Hector sighed as he packed the last bag, "That's the last one,"

Just then, a Xolo dog sprinted out of the house and jumped into the wagon.

Dante had been a stray dog on the streets who was always drawn to the families musical talents but most of all to the youngest. Miguel had begged Hector to let Dante stay with them, and the man could not resist his nephew's puppy dog eyes.

"Oh great," Chicharron groaned, "He's coming along too?"

"Chich," Hector spoke with a raised eyebrow, "Just go with it. Believe me,"

"Fine but you owe me another one," the man growled as he sat in the front of the wagon.

With a sigh, Hector bent onto his knees in front of the boy and zipped up his sweater because the trip was going to be cold and the last thing he wanted was to be worrying his head off about Miguel getting sick.

"I'm not sure I want to leave today," Miguel protested, Hector sighed, he was hoping that this conversation was over, "I don't want to leave you alone,"

"Oh, it"s going to be so boring here without you," Hector said with a sincere smile, "And it's only for a few days, Miguel."

"I guess," the boy shrugged

Just then, the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the tender moment. Chich was sitting un the driver's section, impatiently.

"Are we ready to go?" he grumbled

"Not just yet!" Hector protested but he picked Miguel up under his armpits and placed him in the back of the cart, "I forgot something,"

Miguel's eyebrows crinkled in confusion as his uncle disappeared back into the house.

After a minute or two, Hector stepped back out of the house again but he had his guitar in his hand.

"Here, chamaco," Hector said with a smile and sat next to his nephew, "I wrote this for you,"

Miguel's eyes brightened as the man played a small tune.

 _"Remember me, though I have to say goodbye_ _. Remember me, don't let it make you cry. For even if I'm far away I hold you in my hea_ _rt, I sing a secret song to you each night we are apart."_

 _"Remember me, though I have to travel far. Remember me, each time you hear a sad guitar. Know that I'm with you, the only way that I can be. Until your in my arms again, remember me,"_

"That's beautiful, Tio,"

"I'm glad you think so because it took me all night to come up with," Hector smiled before holding the instrument out, "I want you to take this and continue singing that song every night until we're together again,"

Miguel smiled brightly as he took the guitar into his smaller hands.

"I love you, Tio," the boy smiled as the older man jumped down from the cart.

"I love you too, mijo," Hector smiled back and gently kissed his nephews head, "Okay, Chich!"

"Finally," the man groaned, even while he didn't sound irritated as before, "Adios, Santa Cecilia!"

As the cart traveled down the path that leads to the forest, Miguel continued to wave at Hector until he was out of sight.

If only they knew what fate had in store for them.

* * *

The sun was starting to set as the group continued traveling down the forest path.

Miguel sat happily in the back of the wagon as he played his uncles guitar with glee and Dante listened with great interest.

 _"Señoras y señores, buenas tardes, buesas noches! Buenas tardes, buenas noches, señoritas y señores!"_

Chicharron grumbled beneath his breath, he had nothing against music but you could only hear the same song again and again and again for some many times.

 _"To be here with you tonight brings me joy que allegria!"_

"Hey, kid! How about you save the songs for after the trip?"

 _"For this music is my language and the world is mi familia!"_

Growing more frustrated the man turned but in his carelessness, the front wheel had run over a small, sharp rock and broke the wooden wheel.

The horses whinnied in fright but Chich pulled on the reins to calm them down.

"What happened?" Miguel timidly asked from the back.

"Ugh! Broken wheel," The man grumbled before stepping down off the cart, "Wait here, I'll have this fixed,"

Miguel sighed and shivered in the cold air. Gently setting the guitar aside, the boy pulled on his hood and leaned into his back. Dante snuggled next to his owner.

Unknown to anyone, a silhouette of a canine much larger than Dante appeared from between two trees before disappearing behind another tree.

Dante's head snapped up and began to look around the area.

"What is it, boy?" Miguel asked as he scanned the area as well.

A silhouette jumped from behind a tree and to another, just in time for Miguel to see it.

"Uh. Señor?"

"We'll be back on the road soon, kid! Just a minute!"

Dante began to growl at something in the distance. Miguel turned towards he was looking, and his heart stopped.

Just a few feet away from the cart, there were multiple white eyes shining in the dark shadows of the night.

A growl came from one of the wolves. Miguel's heart froze and he gripped the guitar close to his chest, hoping to find the comfort there like he always found in Hector's hugs.

"Miguel," Chich's voice almost caused Miguel to jump from his skin, his voice was low but had slight panic in it, "Walk towards me, slowly,"

Silently, Miguel secured his uncle's guitar around his back before slowly stepping down from the cart,

"Come on, boy," he whispered and Dante followed him as they both tiptoed towards Chicharron.

A large growl came from one of the wolves like a warning as Miguel hid behind Chich.

"Miguel, listen to me," the older man harshly whispered, "I want you to run, now!"

"What?"

"I'll keep these wolves at bay but you can't be here. Just Go!"

Miguel hesitated, frozen with fear.

"Corre! Go on! Don't look back!"

After glancing at the wolves again, Miguel ran down the forest path as fast as his legs could go with Dante on his heels.

After several minutes of running and running, the road ahead was split into two, each one going in a different direction. Both were cloaked with the nights' cold fog.

Miguel dug his feet into the dirt as he forced his body to a stop. His head darted between the two paths.

 _Which way was Abuelitas?_

The sound of a howling wolf tore the boy from his thoughts. With a gasp, Miguel ran down the path going towards the right.

The more Miguel ran, the colder the air got. In fact, the boy could see his breath as it fogged up in front of his mouth.

Miguel decided to take a chance and look over his shoulder to see if the wolves were catching up.

With a yell of surprise, the boy tripped over an old tree root causing him to fall down a steep hill and disappeared in the fog.

Without hesitating, Dante followed his friend down the hill.

The hill wasn't that long a fall, Dante landed on his belly right next to Miguel sprawled out form.

With a groan, the boy moved his arm in an attempt to pick himself up but it hurt too much.

Dante suddenly began tugging on the boy's sweater sleeve to pull him up. Miguel slowly moved his body to a sitting position and saw at Dante was trying to get him to see.

In the distance, there was a large mansion was slowly being uncovered by the fog. The mansion was large enough to fit all of Santa Cecilia in it.

It looked abandoned but it also looked like o wolves would be in there.

"Come on, boy," the boy groaned as he pulled himself to his feet.

Dante followed Miguel with his tongue dangling out of his mouth as the two walked up the front stairs.

Miguel hesitantly lifted his hand and knocked on the large door but the light tapping caused the two doors to open with a loud creak.

"That was strange," the boy breathed out in amazement and slight fear. With a shiver, Miguel stepped into the mansion.

The house was huge, it had a grand stairway just in front of the doorway. There were fancy furniture and portraits of people Miguel didn't recognize.

"H.. hello?" Miguel's voice echoed across the house, "Is there somebody here?"

Just as Dante walked inside, the two doors slammed shut causing the two travelers to jump in fright.

"Okay, now this is getting creepy," Miguel gasped as he rubbed his arms in an attempt to warm himself up.

 _"Dios mio! He's shaking like a leaf!"_ a woman's voice spoke

Miguel's head snapped around the room trying to locate the voice, "Who said that?"

 _"He_ _must have gotten lost in the woods!"_ a male voice spoke up

 _"Nah-ah! Don't even think about it, Oscar!"_ another woman's voice snapped, _"It's not up to us! Get him out of here before she sees him!"_

Miguel spun in circles trying to locate the voice, "Is someone here?"

 _"Aye, Victoria! Have a heart. Felipe's right, we can't toss this boy into the freezing snow!"_ another male voice spoke up

 _"Exactly, Oscar, we're going to help him!"_ the first male spoke again

 _"Fine but it's on your heads! Not mine,"_ Victoria snapped

"Who's there, please," Miguel's voice was shaky from both the cold and fear

"Dios mio, little boy!" A woman, Rosita, spoke up, "Please, please come in,"

Miguel turned around and saw the figure of a woman walking down the stairs.

"Thank you, señora," the boy sighed as Rosita stepped off the final step.

But when Rosita stepped into the light. It turned out that she was a living and walking skeleton!

A scream tore from Miguel's throat and he began to back away but he tripped and landed hard on his back.

"See what happens when you're nice to people!" Victoria snapped as she stepped out of the shadows, revealing that she was a skeleton too, "This is what we get for being hospitable!"

Just then, a pair of twin skeletons began walking down the stairs

"Would you two stop fighting?" Oscar begged

"You're scaring him even more!" Felipe finished and stepped closer to the shaking Miguel.

"Are you okay, mijo?"

"Stay away from me!" Miguel cried as he scooted away from him and scrambled onto his feet.

"Oh, No No!" Rosita cried as Miguel raced away, "Don't run away!"

Miguel ignored her and ran out the front door as the others watched him with disappointment.

"Well, that went well," Victoria said while shaking her head.

Outside the mansion, Miguel raced down the stairs, "We gotta get out of here!"

Just as the boy was about to run back into the woods, Dante found something in the distance he liked and ran further into the mansions gardens.

"Dante? Dante!" Miguel quickly changed his route to follow his dog.

As the two entered the garden of the mansion, they were unaware of the pair of glowing eyes watching them from the shadows.

Dante continued to run away as Miguel chased him.

"Dante, come back!" Miguel whimpered as he carefully trotted through the gardens. There were multiple colors that sprouted from the ground. It was beautiful.

Dante had finally stopped in front of a patch of red and pink roses surrounding small stone.

"Come on, boy," Miguel whispered as he rushed over, "We shouldn't be here," Once he was there, Miguel took a peek at the stone.

 ** _In loving memory of Estella Rivera._**

Miguel realized that they were standing on someone's memorial.

"We gotta go, Dante," he whispered and began to pull the dog away.

Just then, something large and heavy landed behind the duo.

Slowly, Miguel turned around to face what was behind him.

It was a large and colorful cat, much larger than any Miguel has ever seen. Bright colors coated her fur and large wings grew from her back.

Miguel didn't even have time to scream before the cat-like monster pounced towards him.

* * *

 **The next chapter will be up soon, promise.**

 **Estell** **a is the name of my grandmother who passed away years ago.**


	4. The Haunted Mansion

**The** **following events were inspired by Link Fangirl01. Can't wait to hear your reactions** **.**

 **Also, it's been brought to my attention that there is another Coco BATB au on Ao3. I wasn't aware of how similar our stories were.**

 **I want to apologize to _esepequenopollitocolombiano_ for having the same story, I did not mean to plagiarize. And thank the guest for bringing this to my attention.**

* * *

Hector was sitting on the stairs of his house, writing away in his songbook.

The man was in the middle of _Remember Me_ when suddenly Chicharron came running from the forest. The horse from his cart followed behind him.

The man's clothes were wrinkled with small tears, his skin was pale, and he looked out of breath.

"Chicharron?" Hector dropped his book and rushed towards his neighbor, "What happened?"

"W...we ... we were attacked," the man managed to say between breaths, "There.. was wolves,"

Hector turned away from his friend towards the path expecting, _praying_ , that Miguel would come running towards him with his dog.

However, when no one appeared on the path, Hector's heart sunk.

"Where's Miguel?"

Chicharron didn't answer and instead, glanced down the path in confusion and alarm.

"Where's my nephew?" Hector cried out

"He... he didn't make it back?"

Hector's skin paled, "What?"

"I told... I told him to run, to run-"

"Oh dear lord," Hector muttered before rushing into his house when he returned he had on a dark coat. Grabbing his songbook, the man quickly climbed onto Chich's horse.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Chich called after him

"I have to go find him!" Hector answered without turning around, "Tell Ceci I won't make it to work tonight!"

* * *

It was from pure determination and love that kept Hector searching the entire woods for Miguel even as the night became colder.

As Hector neared the split path, he could clearly see a small pair of footprints in the dirt on the right side.

"I'm coming, Miguel," the man whispered like a promise.

* * *

In the main room of the mansion, Victoria was scolding the three on their actions.

"You three just couldn't help ourselves, could you? You just had to invite the boy into the house?"

"Excuse us for trying to be polite," Oscar scoffed and crossed his arm.

* * *

Outside the mansion, Hector was carefully walking up the path to the front door. Before he could even think about knocking on the door, something in the distance caught his attention.

Hector slowly crept closer to the object and his heart froze like an icicle once he saw it.

His beloved guitar was lying broken and discarded in the dirt.

"Oh, mijo,"

The man turned his view back towards the large mansion with fear and determination.

* * *

None of the skeleton occupants heard the door creak open in the background as they continued their argument.

"We were just trying to help the child," Felipe argued

"And because of that, Imelda is really angry and we-"

 _"Miguel?"_

The voice caused their bickering to end.

Rosita quickly ran towards the opening towards the front room and gasped loudly, "There's a man!"

"A Man!" Oscar repeated as he raced to see for himself, "That's it! He's the one!"

"The one who will break the spell!" Felipe finished

"Miguel?" Hector shouted as he looked around the room, "Miguel, are you here?"

The mansion remained silent and dead, like when he first arrived.

Just then, a very familiar barking sound came from upstairs.

"Dante!" Hector quickly rushed upstairs after the noise, unaware of his followers.

The second floor was even larger than the first. Dante's barking sounded like he was in pain or he was scared. Either way, it made the man run faster.

At the end of the hall, there was an old wooden door that could have passed on for a broom closet. The barking was coming from there.

Hector sprinted over and pulled open the door just as the barking stopped.

"Miguel?"

Behind the door was even more stairs that lead up to what seemed like a tower.

With no hesitation, the man climbed it. On the top level, there was nothing but cobwebs and one single door.

"Miguel?"

There was a small cough and then a tiny voice said, "H.. Hector?"

"Miguel!"

Hector quickly ran to the door and tore it open.

The room inside was small compared to downstairs with only a twin sized bed.

Miguel was sitting on the ground shaking while Dante stood in front of them like a guard.

"Hector!"

The boy quickly jumped up and ran towards his uncle with his arms spread open.

Tears of relief sprung into the men eyes as he held his child tightly against him in relief, "I thought I'd lost you!"

"I thought I'd never see you again!" Miguel sobbed

After several minutes, Hector kneeled down and gently grasped his nephew's hand, "Mijo, you're cold as ice!" Hector quickly took off his coat and draped it over the smaller boy, "Come on, I'm taking you home,"

"You can't!" Miguel cried as he dug his heels into the wooden ground to stop the man.

Hector looked down at his nephew with concern, "Why not?"

Miguel stood frozen for a moment before whispering, "There are monsters here,"

"What do you mean mon-"

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?!"

Dante whimpered and hid beneath the bed.

The shout almost made Hector jump but he quickly sprung into action kept Miguel against him as he turned towards the angry voice.

Standing in the doorway, there was a female skeleton. She had her black hair pulled back with a purple ribbon, and a purple dress with shiny black boots.

Hector would have thought of her as beautiful, but dead was the first thing that popped into his mind.

Miguel quivered at the sight of her, Hector felt this and began running his hand through the boys hair to calm him down.

"Who are you?" the woman demanded

"Who are you?" Hector repeated in a moment of terror

"Imelda, the owner of this house. Now, what are you doing here?"

"I've come for my nephew," Hector answered and he kept Miguel safely tucked behind him, "I've come to bring him home,"

"He is not going anywhere!" Imelda said sternly, "He broke into my home, now he must face the consequences,"

"I'm sorry!" Miguel cried out

Hector looked down at his quivering nephew than back at the skeleton woman with anger

"You'd lock away a child?" What's wrong with you?"

That was the wrong thing to say, as is sparked Imelda's anger.

"He should know better than to break into someone's home and walk where he shouldn't be!" The skeleton shouted, "He'll stay here until he learns to behave like a gentleman!"

Miguel whimpered and held tighter onto his uncle.

Hector's mind was racing for a solution, the promise he made to his brother all those years ago rang in the back of his mind.

An idea sprung into the mans mind. It was madness, and it meant losing alot but for Miguel, it was worth it.

"Well then, you'll have to lock me away too!"

"What?" Imelda snapped

"If Miguel has to stay here, then so do I!"

Miguel was shocked but he pulled away and tugged on his uncles arm, "Hector, no! Don't!"

Hector turned his back to Imelda amd stood down in front of Miguel.

"I swore that I would never let anything happen to you. I'm not leaving you here by yourself,"

"But you can't!" Miguel cried, "She means forever!"

"I know," Hector responded firmly, "and it's okay,"

Tears began to flood from Miguels eyes amd he wrapped his arms around Hectors neck tightly.

From the doorway, Imelda stood in shock and awe, "You'd give up everything, for your child?"

"Of course," Hector answered firmly

Imelda didn't say anthing, but narrow her eyes at him, "Then you really are a idiot,"

Hector glared at her as the woman slammed the door shut.

As she stomped down the stairs, Imelda turned towards the window and whistled loudly.

The large and colorful winged cat quickly landed on the ground outside the window.

"Make sure they don't escape, Pepita,"

With a purr/growl of confirmation. Pepita extensed

Imelda then walked away from the tower and back to the mansion.

Rosita, Felipe, Oscar, and even Victoria stood frozen against the wall, having heard the entire conversation.

"Oh, dear," Rosita gasped

* * *

Hector was hugging Miguel tightly when something heavy landed on the roof followed by a loud roar.

Dante, who had crawled out of his hiding place when Imelda left, growled at the roof.

Miguel shook with fear as both of them sank to the ground.

"We're going to be okay, mijo," Hector whispered and held thr boy tighter against his chest, "I promise,"

If only he believed that too.

* * *

 **I couldn't split them apart, I just couldn't!**


	5. The Mansion

**_So sorry that this took so long_**

* * *

Héctor paced circles around the small room. His mind was still spinning from the events that had just occurred mere moments ago.

Just a few inches from him, Miguel was lying on the small bed in the corner of the room, his uncle's coat was draped over his small body, providing warmth against the cold air. Dante was pacing in front of the bed like a guard dog.

Suddenly, the sound of the lock on the door being turned echoed across the small room.

Miguel snapped up to a sitting position and Héctor quickly spun towards the door in response. Quickly examining the room, the grown man grabbed a lamp and held it up in defense.

"Stay behind me, mijo," Héctor whispered to Miguel, as he moved to stand in front of the boy.

The door slowly opened to reveal...

A much shorter skeleton with a large mustache on his bony face. Behind him were the twin skeletons.

"Hola!" Julio greeted the pair.

Héctor almost dropped the lamp in his hand with fright and confusion.

 _Was everyone in this house a skeleton? But that's impossible? What was happening?_

Dozens of questions raced through his mind but all he could manage to say was a broken sentence.

"You- But, but you're... you're-"

"Dead?" Julio finished for him with a solemn smile, "Sí, I am,"

"But... but that's not possible,"

"Anything is possible," Oscar started

"When you're cursed," Felipe finished

"But we're getting ahead of ourselves!" Julio quickly intervened, "I'm sure you two would much rather be in your rooms, si?"

"Our rooms?" Miguel asked, "But I thought-"

"You didn't really think we'd leave you two in this little room, did you?"

"I was starting too," Hector muttered as he placed the lamp back on the little table.

"No, No, no," Julio reassured, waving his hand, "You two are our guests and shall be treated like one. Sígueme,"

Oscar and Felipe both stepped out of the doorway while Julio gestured for them to follow him.

Miguel stepped off of the bed and quickly rushed to his uncles' side. Hector held onto the boy's hand as he followed Julio out of the tower. Dante trailed behind.

Outside the window of the tower, Pepita's eyes narrowed before she flew off into the air, silently.

* * *

Oscar, Felipe, and Julio led their three new guests through the halls of the mansion.

Miguel remained hidden behind his uncle while holding the older man's hand for dear life. Hector silently comforted the boy by rubbing the smaller hand with his own, also while providing warmth.

The hallways were dark with multiple portraits along the walls. They appeared to be human but when Hector walked past them, they turned in to skeletons.

During their walk, Oscar leaned really close to Miguel's face before sighing sadly.

"I miss my nose," the skeleton man sighed, rubbing the empty part of his skull where his nose once had been.

Miguel shivered and held onto his uncle's hand much tighter. The man responded by wrapping a comforting arm around the boy and holding him close against his side.

Dust hung along the walls and roof, every curtain insight was closed. Blocking out every stream of sunlight, or snowflakes against the glass.

"This is a lovely place. But it's very..." Hector stopped himself before he said _dead_ , "... old,"

"Yes," Felipe nodded, "This house belonged to our great ancestors. Our father took pride with it,"

"Until it was passed down to our sister," Oscar finished.

"Yes," Hector responded, trying to hide the poison in his voice, "Such a _lovely_ woman,"

No one said anything in response to Hector's statement, not in defense or confirmation.

The silence was suddenly broken when Julio stopped abruptly.

"Here we are," the skeleton man said, standing in front of a large white door with black designs decorated onto the wood.

Julio opened the door, and inside was the largest room that Hector could never have been able to afford.

Inside the room, there was a large bed with a fancy dark blue comforter and pillows. A large window was against the wall, as well as a long lush curtain. A desk was in the far corner as well as a large door fo the closet. There was even a fireplace in the room.

Dante was the last to enter, and even he looked shocked at the room.

"This room can be for the little niño," Julio said, snapping the three from their gawking, "If you'll follow me, Señor. Your room is right next-"

"No!" Hector quickly interjected, making everyone look at him bewildered, the man quickly added, "I... I need to stay here... to tuck Miguel into bed,"

Hector quickly held Miguel tighter against him before the boy could protest against being tucked in like a child. They didn't need to know that Hector had to stay here so that he could find a way to set them free.

 _Or maybe at least send Miguel away to safety. Far from here as possible_

"Ok, then," Julio responded before gesturing Felipe and Oscar to leave the room, "If you need anything, anything at all, just give us a call,"

Hector pulled on a smile and nodded at the three as they left the room.

As soon as the three were left alone in the hallway, their cheerful demeanor change to worry and seriousness.

"Do you two really think this is going to work?" Julio asked the twins, years of hope flickering in his old eyes.

The twins glanced at each other worryingly before answering.

"Not really," Oscar answered, "But we have to try,"

"With every day that passes by, we are brought closer and closer to death," Felipe finished.

Julio nodded sadly, "Aye, and it's not just making him fall in love with Imelda,"

"Imelda must break free from her strong shields," Felipe started.

"Before we have any hope of becoming human again," Oscar finished.

After years and years of lost hope, they finally had a chance to break the curse.

Their last chance.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hector was tucking Miguel into the large bed for the night.

"You just rest, mijo," Hector said as he pulled the soft covers over his nephew, "I'll try to figure out something,"

Dante swiftly jumped onto the foot of the bed and snuggled comfortably against the soft mattress.

As soon as the boy was tucked in comfortingly, Hector began to stand up to pace around again. However, the man was caught off guard when a small hand suddenly grabbed onto his own.

"Stay with me," Miguel asked, his eyes wide with fear, "Por favor?"

"Oh, of course, mijo," Hector responded, sitting on the chair he had pulled up by the bed, "I'm right here,"

Feeling much better, Miguel began to lay back down onto the bed. Still holding onto his uncle's hand like a lifeline.

As soon as Miguel was comfortable, Hector began stroking his hair soothingly.

Miguel suddenly broke the silence by asking, "Are we gonna be trapped here forever, Tio Hector?"

Hector's hand stopped on top of his nephews head. The man expression shifted to a more serious look.

"No," the man said firmly and softly, "I swear that I'm going to get us out of this,"

Miguel nodded understandingly before Hector continued.

"We're going to be home before you know it. Until then, can I count on you to be brave?"

I'll be brave," Miguel said with a smile, "Promesa,"

Hector smiled lovingly down at his nephew.

"Buenas Noches, mijo," he said, gently kissing Miguel's head.

* * *

After a few minutes, Miguel had fallen fast asleep. His hand was still being held comfortingly by his Uncle.

Meanwhile, Hector was looking thoughtfully at a large window that showed the night sky.

 _How much of the blankets would I need to build a rope?_

* * *

 ** _Again, I am so sorry that this took so long._**

 ** _I hope you all enjoyed this._**


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